Machine



June 2, 1931. LE ROY w. ROLLINS 1,807,603

STITCH REMOVING MACHINE Filed Dec. 2, 1926 Patented June 2, I931 TATES LE R'GY W. ROLLINS, G1? MEIDFORD, l'tIASSACHUSET'IS, ASSIGNOR TO UNITED SHOE MA- CHINERY CORPORATIOH, OF PATERSQl-t', NEW JERSEY, A C OE-PQRA'IION J5 NEW JERSEY STITCH-REMOVING MACHINE Application filed December 2, 1928.

removal of the old stitches from the welt insures a better appearance of the shoe after the new sole has been attached. The invention, however, is not limited to the provision of both stitch-cutting means and stitch-removing means but is concerned in some of its aspects only with the provision of means for removing stitches, which previously have been cut, from the welt of a shoe rapidly and without injuring the welt or the upper.

With the above in view, one feature of the invention consists in the combination of a rotary tool constructed and arranged to en gage by its periphery the stitches in the welt of a shoe and to remove the stitches as the tool is rotated, with means for severing the stitches between the welt and the outsole before they are acted upon by the stitch removing tool. The severing of the stitches is effected in the illustrated machine by a reciprocating knife the operation of which is facilitated by means for separating the welt from the outsole as the point of operation of the knife is transferred about the sole.

To facilitate the removal of stitches from the welt, the illustrated machine comprises as another feature of the invention, in combination with a rotary stitch removing tool, means for backing up the welt against the thrust of the tool. As herein illustrated also, this means is arranged to cooperate yieldingly with the tool to bend the welt, thereby loosening the stitches in the welt, by engagement with the welt limited to pointsin ad vance of and behind the point of operation of the tool on the welt.

Considering further the stitch removing aspect of the invention, another feature thereof consists in the provision of a rotatable stitch removing tool adapted to be disposed with its axis transverse to the line of stitch- Serial No. 152,250.'

ing in the welt and constructed and arranged to wipe its periphery across the outer surface of the welt to engage the stitches and pull them from the weltl In the machine in which the invention is illustrated as embodied the wiping action of the tool is effected progressively outwardly across the welt as the point of operation of the tool is transferred along it. The illustrated means whereby the above result is obtained comprises a tool, shaped and arranged to enter the crease between the welt and the upper of the shoe, having spirally disposed ribs arranged to engage the welt and acting, when rotated, to apply a wiping action obliquely across the face of the welt.

The invention further consists in features of construction and in the combinations and arrangements of parts hereinafter described and claimed.

In the accompanying drawings,

Fig. 1 is a view in side elevation of a machine embodying the present invention, showing the machine in operation upon a shoe;

2 is a view in front elevation of portions of the operating parts shown in Fig. l;

3 is a perspective view of the operating parts of the machine;

Fig. i is a detail view, partly in perspec tive and partly in section, of the operating parts of the machine illustrating their mode of operation upon a piece of work; and

Fig. 5 is an enlarged sectional view taken substantially along the line VV of Fig. 1.

Referringto the drawings, the operating parts of the machine comprise a reciproeating stitch-cutting knife 6, a separator plate 8 for separating the welt from the sole and yieldingly holding the welt in position to be operated upon, and a rotary stitch-removing tool 10 for pulling the stitches out of the welt after they have been cut. These parts are mounted upon a head 12 which is supported by a pedestal 14. The upper end of the pedestal 14 provides a horizontal socket for the reception of a sleeve 16 formed integrally with the head 12. The socket for the sleeve 16 is formed partly in the pedestal 14 and partly in a cap plate 18 which is secured to the pedestal by screws 20 so as to clamp the sleeve rigidly to the pedestal.

The knife 6 is secured by means of a screw 22 to the lower end of a slide 24 which is mounted for up and down movement in a guideway in a carrier 26 the upper end of which is pivoted at 28 to an upwardly and forwardly offset portion 30 of the head 12. The stitch-removing tool 10 is arranged in front of the knife 6 and is secured to an upright shaft 78 journaled in a bearing 80 which is adjustably fixed with respect to the portion 30 of the head 12. The separator plate 8 is located between the tool 10 and the knife 6 and is rigidly secured to the lower portion of the knife slide carrier 26 by means of screws 32.

The pivotal mounting of the knife slide permits the knife 6, together with the separator plate 8, to yield backwardly against the pressure of a plunger 3a which is fitted within a bore in the lower part of the head 12 and is acted upon by a spring 36 within the bore. The spring 36 is backed up by a screw 38 which may be turned to vary the tension of the spring and is provided with a lock nut 40 for maintaining the adjustment of the screw. The rearward yielding movement of the knife slide is limited by engagement of the lower end of the slide with the adjacent portion of the head 12 while the normal position of the knife slide is determined by the engagement of a stop screw 42 which is carried by a lug on the carrier 26 and is arranged to engage a shoulder on the head 12 to limit the forward movement of the carrier 26 under the action of the spring 36. The stop screw 42 is secured in adjusted position by means of a lock nut L6. A suitable wing 48 projects rearwardly from the lower end of the knife slide carrier 26 and engages the side of the head 12 to support the lower end of the carrier 26 against the thrust ofthe knife and separator. As shown, the upper end of the knife 6 is fitted within a slot 50 in the knife slide 2a to prevent edgewise displacement of the knife and the cutting edge of the knife is serrated, as shown at 52, to facilitate the cutting of the stitches.

The knife is reciprocated by means of an eccentric pin 56 which projects from the for ward end of a horizontal shaft 58 which is journaled within the sleeve 16. The eccentric pin 56 extends through a hole in a cylindrical block 60 which is mounted to slide in a bore 62 extending crosswise of the carrier 24, the portions of the carrier in front and in back of the bore 62 being slotted as indicated at 6 1 and 66 (see Figs. 1 and 3). The pin 56 is adapted to turn freely within the block 60 and the slots 64 and 66 are elongated crosswise of the carrier and are of sufficient width to insure against cramping of the pin 56 against the walls of the slots as the knife carrier yields backwardly or is moved forwardly by the spring 36. Axial displacement of the eccentric shaft 58 is prevented by means of a collar 68 which is fixed to the front end of the shaft and engages the head 12 and a belt pulley 70 which is fixed to the rear portion of the shaft and engages the rear end of the sleeve 16. A second belt pulley 72 is secured to the eccentric shaft behind the pulley 70 and may be connected by means of a belt Telwith any suitable source of power for the purpose of driving the machine.

The stitch-removing tool 10 comprises a tapering spindle the smaller end of which is provided with peripheral helical ridges or ribs 7 6. The upper end of the stitch-removing tool is rigidly secured to the shaft 78 and the bearing sleeve 80 is pivoted at 82 to the offset portion 30 of the head 12. Axial displacement of the shaft 7 8 in the bearing 80 is prevented by means of a collar 84: arranged to engage the lower end of the bearing and a belt pulley 86 which is fast on the shaft and arranged to engage the upper end of the hearing. The shaft 78 is arranged to be driven from the eccentric shaft 58 by means of a belt 88 which passes over the pulleys 70 and 86 and over direction changing pulleys 90 carried by a bracket 92 which is clamped to the rear end of the sleeve 16. The bearing sleeve 80 is normally maintained in the inclined position shown in Fig. 1 for the purpose of locating the stitch-removing tool in operative relation with the knife and separator and the stitch-removing tool is adaoted to be secured in this position by means of a clamp screw 94: which is threaded into the sleeve 80 and extends through an arcnate slot 96 in an extension 98 of the head 12. lVhen the screw 9 1 is tightened the head of the screw 9st engages the outer face of the extension 98 and clamps the sleeve 80 to the head of the extension 98.

The separator plate 8 is arranged to project between the welt and the sole, the forward end of the separator plate being beveled, as shown at 98, to facilitate the entrance of the plate beneath the welt, as well as to deflect the welt gradually away from the knife 6. he plate 8 thus serves to separate the welt from the sole sufficiently to expose the stitches in advance of the knife 6 to render it easier for the knife to sever the stitches without cutting either the sole or the welt. In addition, the separator plate 8 serves to support the welt in position to be operated upon by the tool pin and yieldingly to press the welt against the tool. The side of the separator plate facing the tool 10 is grooved, as indicated at 100, to insure that it will engage the welt only along two lines of contact 102 and 10 1 (Fig. 5) located respectively in front of and behind the point of contact of the tool with the work. As a result of this arrangement the portion eoaeoa of the welt which is being operated upon by the tool is curved more or less sharply toward the tool and made to'conform to the curve of the tool so as to lengthen the lines of contact between the ridges 76 of the tool and the face of the welt. By bending or curving the Walt in this manner the face of the welt which is engaged by the tool and across which the stitches extend is contracted, or, in other words, the distances between the needle holes in the outer face of the welt are shortened and as a. result the portions ofthe stitches which connect the needle holes are loosened so that it is easier for the stitches to be seized and removed by the tool.

In using the machine, the edge of the sole is first presented to the point of the knife 6 and held against the knife until a few stitches have been severed to permit the separator plate to be entered between the outsole and the welt. The shoe is then pressed rearwardly, thus swinging the carrier 26 against the action of the spring 36 until the welt can be entered between the separator plate and the tool. Backward pressure against the shoe is then relieved and the separator plate being urged forwardly by the spring 36 holds the welt yieldingly against the stitch-removing tool. he work is then manipulated so as to advance the margin of the shoe bottom past the tool 10 so that the stitches will be progressively cut and removed. 7

The stitch-removing tool 10 is so disposed that when a shoe is presented in position to be operated upon, the axis of the tool is transverse to the length of the welt but lies in a plane substantially parallel to the face of the welt and the conical ridges 7 6 on the tool en'- gage the outer face of the welt. The ridges 76 being sharply defined engage the stitches even though the latter are embedded more or less deeply in the welt. The tool is rotated so that the portion which engages the stitches moves opposite to the direction of feed of the work, as indicated by the arrow 106 inl ig. l. The tool thus operates to pull, first one leg of the stitch and then the other, thus operating more eifectively'than if both legs of the stitch were pulled simultaneously. The yieldingly mounted separator plate insures effective engagement of the tool with the work throughout the length of the welt, irrespective of variations in the thickness of the welt, and further insures against injury to the face of the welt from the action of the stitch-removing tool. The tool 10, being of small diameter and of tapering form, readily follows the welt crease even along the shank portions of the shoe without injuring the upper. The use of the illustrated machine renders it unnecessary to perform a separate operation, either manual or mechanical, for cutting the stitches and thus saves a substantial amount of time. The machine is of very simple construction, having no parts liable to get out of order and it performs its work rapidly and effectively, pulling the stitches cleanly without injury to any part of the shoe.

Having described my invention, what I claim as new and desire to secure by Letters Patent of the United States is:

1. In a machine of the class described, in combination, a stitch removing tool adapted to engage the outer face of a welt, means for holding the welt against the tool, said means being constructed and arranged to co-operate with the tool to bend the welt thereby loosen ing the stitches therein, and means for rotating the tool to pull the stitches from the welt.

2. In a machine of the class described, in combination, a rotary tool constructed and arranged to engage the stitches in the welt of a shoe by its periphery and to pull the stitches therefrom when the tool is rotated, and means for backing up the welt against the thrust of the tool.

3. in a machine of the class described, in combination, a rotary tool constructed and arranged to engage the stitches in the welt of shoe and to pull the stitches outwardly across the edge of the welt when the tool is rotated, and yielding means for supporting the welt against the thrust of the tool.

4. In a machine of the class described, in combination, a rotary tool constructed and arranged to engage the stitches in the welt of a shoe and to. pull the stitches outwardly across the edge of the welt when the tool is rotated, and means for progressively bending the welt around the tool as the welt is fed past the tool. 7 l

5. in a machine of the class described, in combination, a rotary tool constructed and arranged to engage the stitches in the welt of a shoe and to pull the stitches therefrom when the tool is rotated, and welt support ing means constructed and arranged for engagement with the inner surface of the welt limitedto points in advance of and behind the point of operation of the tool on the welt to bend the welt toward the tool to loosen the stitches to be removed. I

6. In a machine, of the class described, in combination, a rotary tool constructed and arranged to the stitches in the welt of a. shoe and to pull the stitches therefrom when the tool is rotated, and means constructed-tobe received between the welt and the outsole for pressing tie welt toward the stitch-removing tool to bend the welt so as to shorten the space be ween the stitches on the outer surface of the welt.

7. In a machine of the class described, in combination, a rotary tool constructed and arranged to engage by its periphery the stitches in the welt of a shoe and to remove the stitches as the tool is rotated, and means for severing the stitches between the welt and IOU llU

llb

the outsole before they are acted upon by the stitch-removing tool.

8. In a machine of the class described, in combination, a rotatable stitch-removing tool adapted to be disposed with its axis transverse to the line of stitching in the welt of a shoe and constructed and arranged to wipe its periphery across the outer surface of the welt to engage a stitch and pull it therefrom, and means for rotating the tool.

9. In a machine of the class described, in combination, a rotary tool having a portion projecting from its periphery constructed and arranged to wipe across the outer face of the welt of a shoe and to withdraw the stitches from the welt as the tool is rotated and the welt is fed lengthwise past the tool, and means for holding the welt against the tool.

10. In a machine of the class described, a rotary stitch-removing tool shaped and arranged to enter the crease between the welt and upper of a shoe presented to the machine with the face of the welt disposed in a plane substantially parallel to the axis of the tool and with the welt extending lengthwise in a direction transverse to the axis of the tool, and means on the periphery of the tool constructed and arranged to apply a wiping action obliquely across the welt as the point of operation of the tool is transferred along it for removing stitches from the welt after the stitches have been severed.

11. In a machine of the class described, in combination, a stitchremoving tool comprising a rotary spindle having a spiral rib adapted to engage the stitches in the welt of a shoe presented to the machine with the welt extending crosswise with respect to the axis of the tool but with the face of the welt disposed in a plane substantially parallel to the axis of the tool, and mechanism for rotating the tool.

12. In a machine of the class described, a rotary stitch-removing member adapted to be disposed with its axis extending transverse to the length of the welt of a shoe but parallel to the plane of the face of the welt, and a rib on the periphery of said member extending obliquely with respect to the axis of the member for applying a wiping action progressing outwardly across the face of the welt when the member is rotated.

13. In a machine of the class described, a rotary stitch-removing tool comprising a tapered spindle having peripherally spaced spiral ribs, the tool being shaped and arranged to enter the crease between the welt and upper of a shoe presented to the tool with the length of the welt extending crosswise of the axis of the tool and with the face of the welt disposed in a plane substantially parallel to said axis.

14. In a machine of the class described, in combination, a reciprocating knife for cutting the stitches between the welt and the outsole of a shoe, a member for separating the welt from the outsole to facilitate the action of the knife, a rotary stitch-removing tool for engaging the stitches along the outer face of the welt, a carrier for the knife and the separator member mounted for yielding movement toward and away from the stitchremoving tool, and means for reciprocating the knife and rotating the tool.

15. In a machine of the class described, in combination, a driven shaft, a reciprocating knife, a yielding knife carrier, a separator plate fixedly mounted on the yielding knife carrier, a rotary stitclrremoving tool mounted for adjustment toward and from the knife, connections between the shaft and the knife for reciprocating the knife to cut the stitches between the welt and outsole of a shoe, and connect-ions between the shaft and the tool for rotating the tool to remove the stitches from the welt as they are out.

16. In a machine of the class described, in combination, a rotary stitch-removing tool for engaging the stitches along the outer face of the welt of a shoe, a reciprocating knife for cutting the stitches between the welt and the outsole before the stitches are engaged by said tool, a separator plate located between the knife and the tool and having a welt-engaging face shaped to bend the welt around the tool, and a mounting for the knife and the separator plate adapting the latter for yielding movement toward and from said tool.

17. In a machine of the class described, in combination, a rotary stitch-removing tool provided with a helical stitch-removing rib having its axis adapted to be disposed transversely with respect to the length of the welt of a shoe but in a plane substantially parallel to the face of the welt, and means for flexing the welt to bend it about the periphery of said rib.

18. In a machine of the class described, in combination, a rotary stitchremoving tool, and a yielding separator plate constructed and arranged to enter the outer seam of a welt shoe and press the welt against the tool to insure the bite on the stitches by the tool.

19. In a machine of the class described, in

combination, a rotary stitch-removing tool, a pivotally mountedseparator plate constructed and arranged to enter the welt seam of a shoe, and means for urging said plate toward said tool thereby to hold the welt of the shoe in engagement with the tool.

In testimony whereof I have signed my name to this specification.

LE ROY W. ROLLINS. 

